A complete opening system with White playing 1.e4. The author tells you what to play against each possible Black defense. His recommendations are not carved in stone so you can keep what you like and change the ones that do not appeal to you. If you play the "peak-a-boo" opening, you will want to change to the dynamic 1.e4! Start winning games!

Soltis's research has found material found no where else! He was a chess meteor brilliantly streaking across the sky in only two years after learning the moves. He came and went quickly, this Harry Nelson Pillsbury. But while he was here, he left something for you - his extraordinary life and games. You will learn from his style that mixed and combined that or Steinitz and Morphy. Between 1896-1902, he may have been the best player in the world, superior even to World Champion Lasker. You are going to be a part of history and beautiful games with this book on Pillsbury the Extraordinary! There's a diagram every 3 moves, like a movie, to help you exercise your powers of visualization.

The title is to make it strong and clear it is written from the White side. You do not have to wade through page after page, suggestion after suggestion, to find the best White continuations. The analysis will show you how to get an advantage with White by getting you through the opening against all Black variations. White plays 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by 3.Ne2, with the flexible option to break through with d4 if desired.

GM Soltis states: "Every chessplayer dreams of finding an opening that plays itself. After awhile the novice player learnes this is an impossible dream. There are, however, some universal systems of development that a player can adopt when he has the white pieces." By combining three aggressive, easy to understand openings, the author delivers. Not only does Soltis give you opening analysis and ideas, each chapter has Middlegame strategy.

With the Dutch Defense as Black having a revival at GM level, it is time for a rehabilitation of Bird's Opening 1.f4. The extra move White has makes a big difference. Soltis covers how White should play in: Part 1 :Black Doesn't Fianchetto His King's Bishop. Part 2: Black Plays Modern Systems Including ...g6. Part 3: From's Gambity(a hard gambit to meet - here is how GM's play against it). Part 4: Other Defenses Black May Play.

GM Soltis: "If white gets to attack in the Sicilian Defense anyway, why should he offer a pawn or two for the privilege? The answer is that black gets to counterplay in the Sicilian and his counterplay is usually as good as white's. That, in fact, is what makes the Sicilian popular. There are plenty of familiar Sicilian gambits(like the Smith Morra and Wing, which this book doesn't even cover). But in the last few years, a number of new ideas arising out of positional variations, have been discovered and found to pack a wallop for white". Here are six new white gambits against the Sicilian that the reader will have to attempt to destroy black!

When you play 1.e4 e5 2.f4, you hope your opponent plays 2..exf4 where you can blow him off the board. But there is quite a bit to know about the King's Gambit Declined if Black does not play the Accepted Variation. This Volume 2 covers all Declined variations from the Classical Defense, Counterattacking 2..Nf6, Falkbeer, and all others. With the two volumes, you can play the Romantic King's Gambit, an opening for adventurers.

GM Soltis: "Against the King's Indian Defense and the Benoni Group(all of them: Czech, Modern, etc..)there is a simple, relatively new, yet ambitious setup that can be played effectively against each member of the family...the key element here is the bishop on d3(5.Bd3!)". This book also tells you how to play against the Old Indian and Modern defenses.

One of the most solid and consistently successful systems available against 1..d6 and 1..g6 is the subtle Fianchetto. If you play 1.e4, you will want to know how to beat the Pirc/Modern. If you play either of these 2 defenses, you will want to know what will be played against you. The White setup is pawns at e4, d4, and g3, White Knights at c3 and e2, and Bishops at g2 and usually e3 - then attack, attack!

No matter what white plays, you are given a black winning answer. Many games of the strong GM Dutch defense expert Malaniuk are given. Also games by leading GM's such as Ivanchuk, Beliavsky, and Bareev are demonstrated. This book shows how to play one of the most dynamic, strategically rich defenses in chess.

New opening ideas are created frequently, but few have had the meteoric career of Nigel Short's system against the Caro-Kann defense. Virtually unknown before 1988, it has become a regular customer in super tournaments since the 1990's. And yet it is so simple to handle that a Class B player can master most of the strategies in an afternoon. The British GM's system consists of playing the Advance variation of the Caro-Kann with a relatively modest form of development- modest yet it can pack quite a wallop. What short discovered was not just a new move, but a new concept. Despite the presence of the annoying bishop on the excellent b1-h7 diagonal, Black had not equalized, he announced. Short demonstrated that the bishop could, in fact, become a liability that would be attacked in the general expansion of white's pawns on the kingside. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5(as well as 3..c5 and 3..Na6)-new strategy against each one.

Wanted: Opening system needed to combat the most popular defense to 1.e4. Must be sound, flexible, and aggressive. Experience against all Black formations essential. GM's Short and Nunn came forward in the late 1980's and early 1990's to give us one catch-all system. First it was proven successful against one Black setup, and then against another and another. Its successes were registered at the highest levels. Fischer played it against Spassky in the 1992 return match! Still the most popular system against the Najdorf today.

In the past many masters have tried to solve Black's problem of developing the Queen's Bishop after blocking it in by 2..e6(1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6). But there is another school that thinks Black should solve the Bishop problem first, with 2..Bf5. A number of them from the Baltic nations were GM Mikenas and GM Keres. The modern generation is lead by GM's Bagirov, Shirov, and Rausis. We believe books have overlooked 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 or 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 or 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5.

Answers 1.e4 and all other openings. This is a very flexible system that allows White to build up a large center if so inclined. Black's aim is to attack White's center with all his forces, bringing about sharp, hypermodern play on the board.

Frank Marshall (1877-1944) reigned as America's chess champion from 1907 through 1936 - the longest stint of anyone in history. A colorful character almost always decked out in an ascot and chewing a cigar, his career coincided with many evolutionary changes in competitive chess.

Grandmaster Soltis blends this defensive 1..d6 move into a coherent defensive system answering whatever white throws at black. This move frequently transposes into the sharp, attacking, ultra-dynamic King's Indian Defense when played against 1.d4. Against 1.e4, the Pirc(or sometimes also the Modern Defense) arises, bringing a very flexible setup which can vary wild, attacking chess to solid, positional maneuvering. 1..d6 is a flexible way to combat any white first move.

One of the most dynamic and attacking of all chess openings, the search for new ideas in the Trompowsky has gone beyond the rare and bizarre into the realm of the unorthodox and even bizarre. Somewhere in between lies a widely misunderstood and often mishandled device known as the Trompowsky Attack. Still a relatively young and evolving opening, this really took off in the 1980's and early 90's. This dynamic, attacking system has become a staple in the repertoires of many GM's. Of particular note, England's Julian Hodgson is often credited as the leading innovator of new, fresh Trompowsky ideas

Sam loyd is widely considered to be the finest chess composer that ever lived, often authorizing problems with witty themes that would challenge even the strongest of players. What isn't so well known is that he was also one of the best chess players in the U.S.,despite having a playing style that was highly flawed. Like his problems, Sam would often try to create fantastic combinations over the board during his games, rather than simplifying and going for the win.

This book, edited by Grandmaster Andrew Soltis, presents 58 of Sam Loyd's problems for your consideration. In addition to the puzzles, the author extensively discusses the man behind the puzzles.

The world's leading players take the Black side and seem to be unbeatable! With this analysis you can have access to Black's system introduced by Spassky and used prominently by Kasparov and many of the world's elite.

Essentially, Soltis advocates a 1 c4, 2 g3 sequence against virtually any set-up by Black. The rare exception is the response 2?d5 after either 1?e6 or 1?c6, when 3 b3 is recommended, although even here, the King?s Bishop does end up fianchettoed, but just a few moves later.The book maintains the same basic coverage as the second edition. It is divided into four sections: I ? c4 e5; II ? c4 c5; III ? c4 Nf6; and IV - c4, others. There are two basic systems presented in the book: The set-up credited to Botvinnik, with the KB fianchettoed, the QN on c3, pawns on c4, d3 and e4, and the KN on e2; and a variation of this, with the pawn on e3, with the d?pawn retaining the option of going to either d3 or d4, depending on circumstances.

There is no reason that the variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.0-0 c5 fell out of fashion. Soltis proves this by giving you excellent analysis and strategy in this variation. He brings back a 1950's variation to surprise your opponents. This system has a bit of a Benoni feel to it by attacking white's center with 6..c5 instead of 6..e5. This should be called the Gligoric system since it was the veteran GM Svetozar Gligoric who first demonstrated Black's resources most successfully. This system is a dangerous surprise weapon in the King's Indian that can be employed at all levels.

1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3 and other moves where Black does not play c5. There aren't as many strategic plans and positional themes as in the Queen's Gambit; but there are still quite a lot - and that's enough for 95 percent of serious players. Against an amateur opponent, the Colle is a deadly weapon, a quick killer. Edgar Colle and his fellow Belgian native, GM George Koltanowski, registered a string of sparkling victories, many of them in less than thirty moves, with this system. He even had the great Alekhine on the ropes with it.

It's a fact of chess life that if you want to win, you have to put a bit of study in. Every chess player, from near-beginner to experienced tournament player, needs to learn the openings and keep on top of current theory. But studying doesn't have to be dull.

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